Lavender - stocking rates & management practices

[OzBuzz]

Hello folks, greetings from Australia! Just wondering if any of you put hives on lavender? What are the recommended stocking rates to get a surplus? Is lavender a good yielder of nectar and pollen? Are there any special management practices I should consider? What's the honey like?

Cheers

Oz

[OzBuzz]

Anybody?

[Joe D]

Wish I could help.  Would like to have a row or two but I know of none in this area.  I have seen and sampled several types of honey, no lavender.  The kinds I have had, had different colors and taste but were all good.  Sorry really no help.  Good luck to you and your bees. 



Joe

[prestonpaul]

All I can tell you is our bees are all over the lavender in our gardening it's flowering so there must be somthing for them in it.

[Jeanette]

Lavender honey is a premium product if you can get a pure lavender honey. Apparently it is pretty rare outside of France. Dick Smith sells it, as does the Lavendar Farm in Tasmania. It seems that the bees do like it!

http://www.honeytraveler.com/single-flower-honey/lavender-honey/
http://www.dicksmithfoods.com.au/store/product/tasmanian-honey-company-tasmanian-french-lavender-honey-400g
http://bridestowelavender.com.au/index.php?cPath=23

[Jeanette]

The MelissaGarden website says that production rates for lavender are: 70 - 120 pounds honey; 250 - 300 pounds pollen per acre
(approximately 30 - 55kg honey, 110 - 135kg pollen)

There is also a note about varroa mites disliking lavendar.

http://www.themelissagarden.com/TMG_Vetaley031608.htm

[OzBuzz]

Hey Jeanette, thanks for that info! Hopefully those figures come to fruition! I inspected today and they've laid very little in surplus - I suspect they're filling brood nest stores and will then move on to storing a surplus - hopefully!

A fellow Aussie! Where are you located? Victoria here...

[Joe D]

Thanks for the info, Jeanette.  Now to see what I can plant for my bees.  And in the info where mites don't like lavender or coriander maybe worth trying for organic control or help in controlling them.




Joe

[Jeanette]

I'm glad the lavender information proved useful.

@OzBee - I'm a 'permanent traveller' with my mailing address in Toowoomba (Queensland) and Tassie in my heart. My husband and I don't have enough grey hair to qualify as 'grey nomads' yet but we have often followed their trails. At the moment, our caravan is parked in south east Queensland where the humidity of the wet season is just starting to overtake the baking heat of early summer.